The Maurauders: Year One
by Aleksandryna-Zinnaella
Summary: Join the Maurauders and their friends and enemies in their first year at Hogwarts. SYOW. Rated T for safety.
1. SYOW Form

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything publicly recognized. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Summary: Join the Maurauders and their friends in their first year at Hogwarts. SYOW.**

NOT A CHAPTER

This fanfiction will be an SYOW (Submit Your Own Wizard/Witch). To submit a character, fill out the following form in a PM, as I will not accept any characters sent in reviews.

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Year:**

**House:**

**Family:**

**Friends:**

**Best Lessons (maximum 5):**

**Worst Lessons (minimum 2):**

**Quidditch player?**

**If yes, which role?**

**Appearance (at least three full sentences):**

**Personality (at least three full sentences):**

**Anything else that I forgot:**

Thank you in advance, and I hope that I get lots of awesome characters sent in, as well as some really pathetic ones that no one will like. I will also need some professors, who can be submitted in the same way as the students, but using this form:

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Subject:**

**Appearance (at least three full sentences):**

**Personality (at least three full sentences):**

**Anything else that I forgot:**

Thank you in advance!


	2. Chapter 1- The Train Ride

Chapter One- The Train Ride

Sirius Black waved goodbye to his brother, the only member of his family who had come to see him off. The rest either didn't care or were older students. As soon as Regulus was out of sight, Sirius went to find an empty carriage.

Eventually, he succeeded, although the compartment wasn't completely empty. There were three people in it, and two of them were asleep. There were two boys, one with messy black hair and glasses, the other, who was sleeping, had sandy hair and many scars lacing his face. The girl, who was also asleep, had wild chocolate-brown curls in a messy plait to her waist, about the same amount of scars as the sleeping boy, although hers looked much deeper, like they'd been reopened several times, and slight acne. Sirius opened the door and stepped inside.

"Can I sit here?" Sirius asked, and the boy nodded.

"I'm James Potter." the boy said.

"Sirius Black." Sirius told him. "What year are you in?"

"First. What about you?" James asked, and Sirius informed him that he was also in the first year. The girl started muttering in her sleep, and James rolled his eyes. He walked over to her and shook her awake. The girl opened her eyes, and Sirius saw that they were sea-green. The girl winced as blood poured down her face. Sirius gasped and the girl waved it off.

"It's just a new injury. They always reopen. It's really no big deal." she quickly told him, like she didn't want him to worry. "I'm Zin, by the way. Zin Castellan." Sirius only then noticed that she had an American accent. Her voice was gravely and weak, like she had a sore throat or hadn't slept in a while. She dabbed at the blood with her sleeve as she took a small box out of her pocket and took something out of it.

"What are those?" James asked her, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Don't you have band-aids in England?" Zin asked incredulously.

"We have healing spells." Sirius told her.

"I live with Muggles." Zin informed him.

"You're muggleborn?" James asked her, and Sirius stared at her incredulously. He'd always been told that muggles and muggleborns were cowards and couldn't cope with the tiniest of injuries.

"My Mom's muggleborn, and I never knew my Dad." Zin told them, and James' eyes widened. Zin put a band-aid over the open scar, told the boys to keep the noise down, and went back to sleep.

A few hours later, Zin was woken by firm hands gently shaking her awake. She groaned and opened her eyes, before glaring at the boy looking down at her.

"We're here." Sirius told her, and she pulled herself up, leaping into action. Zin turned to the boy who had woken her. It was the other boy who had been in the carriage: the one who had slept through the earlier conversation. The two locked eyes, and James and Sirius thought that the look they shared was strange, like they were sharing a secret.

"I'm Remus." the boy told Zin.

"Zin." Zin introduced, smiling, before the four got off the train.

"Where are we meant to go?" Remus asked, and the others shrugged.

"Let's just follow everyone else." Zin suggested. The four eleven year olds pondered where they were supposed to be for a few moments, before a loud voice said:

"Firs' years over 'ere!" The four followed the sound of the voice. When they saw the man who owned the voice, Zin whistled.

"Do the words 'low carb diet' mean anything to him?" she asked.

"That's so rude!" Remus exclaimed as the four joined the crowd of first years. Zin grinned at him. The group of first years began to move, and, as they rounded a corner, Zin noticed the way in which they would be getting to the castle. She squealed with excitement and bounced up and down, clapping. Sirius gave her a look that clearly showed that he thought she was strange.

"We're getting to the castle by boat!" Zin sounded extremely hyper, and Remus paled. "Just FYI, I have an open skin on frame canoe which I built myself. I live near Bantam Lake, and I spend most of my time either on or in the water." she added as an afterthought. Remus shuddered.

"I hate the water." he stated, and Zin gasped in shock.

"The water is my life!" she exclaimed. "As well as being fun to play in and on, it's great for the dogs: it builds strength in their legs and tires them out, so they won't chase the cats as much."

"You have dogs and cats?" James asked her, and she nodded in response.

"I have loads of pets. We have our own paddock and stables, so we have five horses: four Hafflingers and an Icelandic. We also have five dogs: a Sprocker, a Springer, two Black Labs and a Czech Wolfdog, and four cats: a Burmese, a tabby, a DSH and one who is a mixture we're not quite sure of. We have a couple of other small pets, two rabbits and a load of fish, and I'm trying to convince my aunt to let me get either a Leopard Gecko or a Chilean Rose Tarantula or an Emerald Tree Boa." By the time Zin had finished listing the millions of animals that resided in the menagerie that was her home, everyone was on a boat, and everyone had followed the rule of "no more 'an four to a boa'" which the extremely large man had set. The boats began to move, and Zin moved to the front of the boat and leaned forward, trailing her fingers in the water. She closed her eyes and smiled contentedly, before looking round when she heard a laugh and the boat started rocking. Sirius was holding the sides of the boat, tipping it from side to side.

"Stop it." Remus ordered quietly. His eyes were closed and his face was pale. He was clearly terrified.

"Okay." Sirius said, giving the boat one final heave. The boat tipped over and the boys fell into the water. Zin had managed to swing her legs over the side of the boat and was pulling it down. As the boat landed in the water with a splash, Zin climbed back into it and pulled James and Sirius on. She looked around for Remus and swore when she saw that he was sinking rapidly. She pulled off her cloak and jumper and dived in. Everyone stood up to see what was going on, and some of the girls screamed as Zin plummeted down, wrapped her arms around Remus' waist and sped back up, rising until the two broke through the surface, Remus pale and shivering and Zin looking energized, her eyes brighter than before, though she kept giving Remus concerned looks. She reached the boat and James helped to pull Remus into it, before Zin looked pleadingly at him, holding her hand out. He pulled her in, she helped Remus out of his drenched cloak and jumper and placed hers around his shoulders.

"Thanks." Remus murmured, and Zin rubbed his arms to help warm him up. She was dripping wet and shivering slightly, but she didn't seem to notice, because she was muttering to herself as she assessed the situation. The boats started to move again, and, when they reached the shore by the castle, James and Sirius quickly leaped off the boat, and Zin placed one hand on Remus' elbow, and held his hand with the other. The other first years were whispering excitedly and looking at Zin, who quickly dispelled them by giving everyone she caught staring a sharp glare. A strict, severe looking woman was waiting outside the castle doors.

"'Ello, Professor McGonagall." the huge man said.

"Hello, Hagrid. All arrived in one piece, despite the, ah, set-backs, I see." the strict-looking woman, Professor McGonagall, said in a Scottish accent. There was some laughter from a group of boys, although they became silent when Professor McGonagall gave them a disapproving look, which showed the entire yeargroup that she was not to be messed with. Professor McGonagall took out her wand and waved it over Sirius, James, Remus and Zin, giving Sirius a glare and smiling softly at Remus and Zin as the four instantly became dry. Remus handed Zin her cloak, and put on his own, which had also been dried by the spell. "Follow me, please." Professor McGonagall ordered, and the group of eleven year olds obliged as the teacher entered the castle. There were gasps from almost everyone as they saw the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall told them to stay where they were, before quickly walking through the set of doors in front of the group. People began to whisper amongst themselves, and Sirius tried to make conversation with Zin, but she just glared at him and turned to a dark-haired boy who smirked at Sirius and gave Zin a flirty smile before the two launched into conversation. A couple of minutes later, the boy made a disgusted face and turned away from Zin. A moment later, Professor McGonagall came back and gestured for the new students to follow her. The group drew a collective breath as they entered the Great Hall and saw the magnificence of the most spectacular room in the school.

**A/N: I need first year students before I can write the next chapter! Please submit some!**


	3. Chapter 2- The Sorting

Chapter 2- The Sorting

As the first years entered the Great Hall, the only things that could be heard were the collective gasp from the group and Zin murmuring something in a foreign language. The group of eleven year olds walked to the front of the hall where a hat lay on a stool. When the first years were starting to wonder what was going to happen and how they would be sorted, a crease on the brim of the hat opened and the hat began to sing.

_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can top them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a steady mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The song ended and the teachers and older students started clapping, and a couple of the first years joined in. Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a roll of parchment.

"I will call each of you forward individually and place the Sorting Hat on your head. You will then be told which house you will be in, and you will take a seat at your house's table." she said, and lifted the Sorting Hat off the stool. She unrolled the parchment and began to call people up. "Aubrey, Bertram."

A small, timid boy with brown hair walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat touched his head, and, a moment later, yelled "Hufflepuff!"

"Avery, Darius."

"Slytherin!" the hat yelled before it had even touched the boy's head. He swaggered over to the Slytherin table, which had erupted in cheers. Bell, Georgia became the first new Gryffindor before Sirius heard a familiar name.

"Black, Cassiopeia." Sirius watched his youngest cousin walk up to the stool. The hat rested atop her long blonde curls for a couple of minutes before it decided on Slytherin. Cassie sat down near her older sister Andromeda, before Sirius' name was called. He sat on the stool and waited for the inevitable. He knew he would be in Slytherin: everyone in his family ever to pass through Hogwarts had been. Sirius heard the hat's voice inside his head.

_Another Black? Not like the rest, I see. You've already befriended a Muggleborn. You don't believe in Pureblood supremacy. A lot of courage in there, too. In which case, you'd better be in:_

"Gryffindor!" the hat yelled to the school, and the Gryffindor table started cheering, although there were boos and hisses from the Slytherin table, who clearly didn't approve of a Black being in Gryffindor.

While various Gryffindors congratulated Sirius on becoming a part of the 'Most Awesomest House in the History of Forever', as one girl put it, Bones, Edgar went to Hufflepuff and Bray, Samuel and Carroll, Aoife became the first new Ravenclaws, before Sirius heard another name he recognised and turned back to the front.

"Castellan, Aleksandryna-Zinnaella." As Zin walked up to the stool, muttering something, many people laughed at her name.

Ten minutes later, Zin was still sitting awkwardly on the stool, waiting for the hat to make its decision. People were starting to mutter things like _Obviously a Gryffindork; she jumped into the lake to save someone! _and _Probably a Mudblood. Filthy scum. _Eventually, the hat made its choice.

"Slytherin!" was the single word that echoed around the room, but this time the echoes weren't drowned out by the cheering of a house. The echoes continued until they disappeared, and all that could be heard then was the soft footfalls of the American girl. No cheering. Not even a single clap. Of course, there were only two students that knew that Zin was Muggleborn, and neither of them cared. What Sirius cared about was the fact that Zin was in Slytherin. Zin sat down in silence, before looking towards Sirius. He scowled and turned away from her. More students were sorted, all quite quickly, and Gryffindor gained three girls in the five after Zin. Sirius zoned out as people were sorted. Ford, Darren went to Hufflepuff, and was quickly followed by identical twins, Gardener, Jasmine and Gardener, Rose. Georgeson, Greengage, Greengrass, Harper, Lestrange. Longbottom, Frank joined Sirius in Gryffindor. Lovegood, Xenophilius went to Ravenclaw and Lucas, Nellie joined Hufflepuff, before Lupin, Remus (the boy who had been asleep on the train and couldn't swim) became a Gryffindor. He sat down, glared at Sirius, and looked towards the front in time to see MacDonald, Mary join Gryffindor and Meadowes, Dorcas and Morris, Lizzy become Hufflepuffs. Three Slytherins, two Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw later, the Gryffindors were joined by Pettigrew, Peter, who Sirius couldn't help but compare to a rat with his short legs, small nose and large teeth, and Potter, James (the boy Sirius had spent the whole train ride conversing with). James high-fived Sirius, before fist-pumping an older girl (she couldn't have been more than a second year) who looked a lot like him. Sirius zoned out again until he saw a good-looking blonde boy join Slytherin and sit down next to Zin. The boy swung his arm around her, and gave her what Sirius judged to be a flirty smile as he introduced himself. Zin looked uncomfortable and quickly slid away from the boy, who looked offended. Sirius smirked and looked back to the front of the hall in time to see Winston, Geoffrey join Hufflepuff and Zabini, Maria become the last new Slytherin.

Professor Dumbledore, the school's Headmaster, got up out of his seat and said "Good evening to you all. For our first years, welcome to Hogwarts. I'm sure you will have an enjoyable and educationally rewarding time here. For the older students, welcome back. I'm sure you're all very hungry after the train ride, so, let the feast begin!" As he said the final word, he clapped his hands twice and piles of food appeared on every platter. Sirius quickly piled up his plate with a bit of everything, before digging in. Some of the girls gave him disgusted looks.

"What? I'm hungry." Sirius said indignantly, although with a mouth full of chicken it sounded more like "'O'? 'm 'un'ry." Beside him, James laughed.

"Zin looks like she's having fun." he stated, pointing towards the girl who was trying to eat while sandwiched between two boys, the blonde who had put his arm around her earlier and a scrawny boy with brown hair that had far too much gel in it. Both boys were leaning forward on one elbow, looking at Zin. She glanced up and caught James' eye. She mouthed _Help! _and gave him a pleading look before going back to her food.

"How does someone like her end up in Slytherin?" asked a small voice. Sirius turned to see Peter, the boy who looked like a rat.

"She was probably faking being nice." Sirius said. "Stupid American." he then muttered.

"She's American?" Peter asked, and Sirius nodded.

"She lives by a massive lake and has about a million pets and spends all her time either on or in the water." Sirius said, mimicking Zin's accent, although he made it more nasal and girly.

"That's really cruel. You were fine with her earlier." Remus commented, and the other boys nodded.

"She's in _Slytherin_. She's obviously gonna be horrible. All Slytherins are." Sirius said, and Remus frowned.

"She saved my life." he pointed out, and James nodded.

"She helped us back into the boat." he added.

"She's really pretty." Peter commented, and the only Gryffindor boy who hadn't said anything, Frank, raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously?" he asked. "You're judging how nice someone is based on how pretty they are?" Peter blushed and shrugged.

"I just thought it might count for something… I've never met a mean pretty person before." he timidly told them.

"I'm not sure what side of the argument I'm on. On one side, she's in Slytherin, and there are very few nice Slytherins. On the other side, she saved someone's life. She can't be all bad." Frank said.

"Sorry to scrape in, but if you guys need any help pranking this American Slytherin, I'd be happy to assist." The boys turned towards the source of the voice. It was the girl James had fist-pumped when he sat down.

"No thanks, Haze. We won't be pranking Zin. She's awesome." James replied. The girl gasped.

"James Potter, my baby brother, prankster extraordinaire, doesn't want to prank someone!" she said, sounding shocked. Then her face contorted into mock concern as she edged towards James. "Are you ill?" she asked, and James grinned, rolling his eyes.

"Shove off, Hazel. You're so annoying." he said, gently pushing her.

"I'm your big sister. It's my job to annoy you." Hazel stated, and James stuck his tongue out at her as she moved back to her friends.

"She seems pretty cool." Sirius commented.

"She is. She can be really annoying, but she's still the best sister ever." James told him.

The boys started eating again, and none of them spoke again until they'd finished. The plates all disappeared, and Sirius saw Zin suddenly lean back, looking shocked, before pouting. Professor Dumbledore stood up and clapped to get everyone's attention.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden for a reason, Misters Prewett, Miss Potter and Miss Shawcross." he said, and Hazel and her friend sniggered from behind the boys. "I would also like to inform you all that a Whomping Willow has been placed in the school grounds. I should warn you all; this tree is highly dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances." Professor Dumbledore's tone became very serious as he spoke, before becoming light and cheerful again. "Now off to bed, all of you." Everyone stood up, and the older students filtered out. A tall boy with brown hair and brown eyes walked down the hall towards the first years.

"First years, follow me, please." he said in an authoritative voice. "I'll show you to the Common Room." The first years all stood up, and began to talk again as they followed the older boy.

"I say we give Zin a chance. Just because she's in Slytherin, doesn't mean she'll be completely evil." James said.

"She's Muggleborn, right?" one of the new Gryffindor girls, a small blonde girl with brown eyes, said. James nodded. "She probably won't be like the other Slytherins, then. They'll probably bully her and not want to be friends with her, so she'll need someone to help her settle in and make her feel comfortable. It's all new to her, so she'll probably be a bit scared."

"Except it's not new to her, because her mum's Muggleborn. She's known about magic her whole life." Sirius retorted.

"She was raised by her Muggle aunt. She's known about magic, but she probably hasn't seen much." Remus replied.

"Can we please stop talking about this girl? I'm friends with one of the Slytherins, and he doesn't care about blood purity." a pretty red-haired girl with emerald green eyes said exasperatedly, and some of the other girls nodded.

"Yeah, what's the big deal with this girl?" another girl asked.

"She's the one who jumped into the lake to save me." Remus told them, and their eyes widened.

"When she did that, I was so expecting her to end up in Gryffindor." the blonde girl said. Some of the others murmured in agreement. Down the corridor, there was a sudden shriek of pain, followed by people beginning to chant 'Fight, fight, fight, fight' repeatedly. The new Gryffindors looked towards the sound of the noise and saw that the Slytherin first years had formed a circle around three students: Zin and the two boys that had been staring at her in the Great Hall. One, the blonde, was on the floor, struggling to get up, as the other threw a punch at Zin, who dodged and kicked him in the shin. The blonde boy got up and moved towards his friend, and the two began to attack Zin, one lunging out to grab her as the other punched her. She ducked and dodged, throwing punches and kicks at the boys.

"She fights like a pro!" Frank muttered, and Peter nodded.

"Two against one is not fair." Remus said disapprovingly, as James yelled

"Yes, Zin!" Some of the Slytherins turned to look at him, and he smiled sweetly at them. The teachers had obviously heard the noise, because Professor McGonagall came marching down the corridor, frowning.

"What is going on here?" she asked, and Zin and the boys stopped fighting and turned to face her. Blood was pouring down Zin's cheek, and one of the boys had a nose bleed. One of the other Slytherin boys stepped forward.

"Please, Professor, Wilkes and Mulciber were having a civil conversation with her, and she lashed out at them." Zin turned to face the boy who had spoken and glared daggers at him, looking outraged. One of the Slytherin girls stepped forward next to him.

"Please, Professor, if I may add something?" she asked, and Professor McGonagall nodded. "The girl, I not quite sure of her name, was talking to Snape, when Wilkes started talking about how Mudbloods were worthless and didn't deserve to come to Hogwarts, so she got angry and lashed out at him. He and Mulciber then ganged up on her and started to beat her up, and she defended herself."

"Liar!" the blonde boy, Wilkes, exclaimed, as Zin smiled at the girl who had given the true account of what had happened.

"As I doubt we will be able to resolve this matter tonight, and it is almost past curfew, I will inform Professor Slughorn of what has happened and he will punish you three appropriately." Professor McGonagall said, before turning and walking off. The Slytherin first years continued on their way, as did the Gryffindors. The boys were all talking about the fight.

"I can't believe she got herself into that." Remus said, shaking his head.

"She's pretty _and _she can fight." Peter sighed dreamily.

"I don't want to get on _her _bad side!" Frank said, and the other boys murmured ascent.

"That was the girl you were talking about earlier?" the red-haired girl asked them. "The one who was in the fight?" Sirius nodded in response. "I think it was irresponsible. I think _she's _irresponsible."

"She can stand up for herself." James retorted. "As a Muggleborn Slytherin, she's going to need that!"

They continued to the Gryffindor Common Room, James and the red-haired girl, who introduced herself as Lily, arguing about whether or not Zin was worthwhile being friends with. One of the other Gryffindor girls, a blonde girl with blue eyes and too much make-up on, was staring at herself in a compact mirror, singing horrifically out of tune. Sirius was pointing at her and laughing. They reached a portrait of an overweight woman and the prefect stopped.

"This is the Fat Lady," he said. "She guards the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. To enter, you must tell her the password, which is currently 'Hippogriff'." The portrait swung open to reveal a hole which opened up into a large room with red walls, which was adorned with red and gold furniture. The first years gasped as they stepped inside and saw what would be their home during term time for the next seven years. The prefect told them that the boys' dorm was up the stairs and to the left, and the girls' dorm was up and to the right.

**A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading Chapter 2! Chapter 3 will be the conversations in the dorm, the boys getting to know each other, and possibly some of the second year girls trying to wind them up. Chapter 4, if people say yes to this idea, could be conversations in the Slytherin Common Room and dorms, if people like Zin and want to see more of her. Bye for now!**


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